SEC Media Days 2023 Recap: Deantre Prince gives his prediction for breakout player this season

All eyes were on Lane Kiffin and Quinshon Judkins at SEC Media Days 2023 and rightfully so.

Ole Miss did bring two other important players and one of them was senior corner Deantre Prince.

Everyone knows the story by now of Prince committing to Matt Luke, heading off to JUCO ball and then returning to the program under Lane Kiffin. He was actually asked about why he returned and if Kiffin played a role in that.

He was very quick to point out that Kiffin had nothing to do with it, which was kind of odd. He was emphatic about Ole Miss being his dream school since he was raised in Mississippi and he left the program to go better himself for the program. Let’s be honest, Kiffin was a factor because there was no chance he was coming back to play for Coach Luke.

The Rebels will feature a new defensive coordinator this season in Pete Golding and Prince’s first question was about Coach Golding’s defense. Obviously the corner wasn’t going to delve into the details for the spies in the audience, so he kept it short and sweet.

Golding runs multiple schemes and emphasizes communication and knowledge of the game. The perfect non-answer.

The focus remained on the defense early as Prince was asked about transfer John Saunders Jr.(Miami (OH)) and Zamari Walton (Georgia Tech).

“They are really smart and big corners. They did a good job for their other teams in their conferences.” Well they are certainly big. Saunders is listed at 6’2 and Walton 6’3. If Golding emphasizes football IQ, snagging two smart corners only makes sense.

The final thing of note, Prince was asked about his pick for breakout newcomer for next year.

His answer: Ayden Williams.